Lady and No Gentlemen
by Tielief
Summary: Young Meggie is sent to prison for stealing bread. There she meets Sparrow, who gives her advice and is trying to escape jail. They make a promise that will last a lifetime...if it can be fulfilled. T for language & safety. Prequel to a unpublished story.


Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing. Leave that to Disney. Go contact them, kay? Leave me to my stories.

"Whatchoo in for, luv?" Jack Sparrow was in jail…again. No surprise there, of course. The pirate, crafty though he was, was bound to get caught for some offense at one time or another. He fiddled with the stick in his hand, which he was grating to a point against the bars of his cell.

He looked over at the young girl to whom he had addressed the question, pausing in his sharpening to scratch his bearded chin.

The girl, who looked barely seven years old, replied in a small voice, "Stole some bread."

Jack barked out a rumbling laugh. "Tis no good if you get caught, luv. But no worries now. You'll learn, lass."

"What are you here for?" the girl asked.

Jack snorted. "Yes, what am I here for?" he muttered sarcastically. "Shady business dealings with the East India Trading Company," he enunciated carefully.

The little girl nodded even though she didn't understand. "I'm Meggie," she said, unfolding herself from the fetal position she was in by the corner of her cell. She strolled over to the bars dividing her cell from Jacks', and watched what he was doing.

Jack brought up a large, masculine, dirty hand, the other still sharpening the stick to a dangerous point. "Jack Sparrow. _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, that is, to you, luv."

The little girl wrapped her small fingers around his large ones. "Nice to make your acquaintance," she said with a curtsy.

Jack blinked. "Acquaintance?" he asked. The stick fell out of his hand. "From a little bugger like you? Where the bloody hell did you learn that?"

Meggie brought her hands behind her back, and bounced on the balls of her feet. "From the fancy ladies," she replied. "It isn't that difficult to sneak into the governor's mansion," she said, as if that explained everything.

Jack smiled, some of his gold and silver teeth glinting in the low light. "Regular little pirate, aren't you?" he asked, ruffling her hair. After a moment of thought, he continued, "I'll tell you what, little missie. Someday, Meggie, you and I will sail the seven seas together. You'll be my personal thief. We'll pillage and burn all over the world, luv – oh, something about that. Always pillage _before_ you burn. Either that or learn from your mistakes…anyhow." He frowned. "Promise me that you will find Captain Jack Sparrow someday, Meggie. Whether in Singapore or London, find me, luv."

Meggie looked at him solemnly. "I promise."

Jack arched an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't happen to be crossing your fingers behind that pretty little back of yours?"

"No, Jack."

"Err, it's _Captain_ Jack…but we'll work on that one later."

Picking up the stick and standing up, he ruffled a hand through her hair and looked at her one last time. "Meggie," he whispered to himself, committing the name to memory. "I'll remember you, Meggie," he said in a clearer voice. "But, unfortunately, I have places to go, cities to plunder…and women to seduce." He smiled wickedly, and turned towards the cell door, reaching through the bar with his stick, and plunging the stick into the lock. Twisting it around a few times, he broke the lock.

Swinging the door open, he loped outside the cell. Meggie scrambled around so that she could see him better.

He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, spreading his arms wide. His eyes swiveled around to Meggie. "Err, lady and no gentlemen," he amended. Presenting Meggie with a sweeping bow, he said, "This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you almost cau…hmm, no…that won't work."

He trailed off, taking a few steps around the prison, muttering random words. "Caught? Trapped…lost…lost? No, not lost…found…dropped…dropped? Where the bloody hell did that one come from? Er…knew…met…met? Ah – "

"HEY YOU! STOP THERE! HALT!" One of the prison guards had noticed Jack, and was now racing down the corridor.

"Woopsie," Jack breathed. Glancing at Meggie, he quickly blurted, "Capnjacksparrow."

With a wink, he took off at a sprint.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Meggie said, liking the feel of the words rolling off her tongue. "Captain Jack Sparrow," she repeated.

"I'll find you."

Author's Note: Alright, so I realize I haven't published anything in centuries. And that other LotR story…I can't even remember what it's called because I haven't worked on it in so long, and because it sucks. That one's hit a dead end, although I might decide to take it into the cleaner's for some renovation. But, moving on. I got inspiration for this one last night while playing Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly. I landed in Jail, and thus this ficlet was born. This story is a kind of introduction, or teaser, to my 'major' PotC fic, The Cabin Boy. It's still in the works, and while I have part of it done, I'd like to get it all finished before I published it. So have fun with this one, and don't forget to review! -Emma


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